breve
/bɹiːv/noun
breve is spelled B-R-E-V-E: 5 letters. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 83,271st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, breve means “A semicircular diacritical mark (˘) placed above a vowel, commonly used to mark its quantity as short” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of breve is breves.
How many letters and syllables are in breve?
| Letters | 5: B-R-E-V-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 83,271st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is breve?
Breve appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 83,271st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce breve?
- /bɹiːv/
- /bɹɛv/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-breve.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-breve2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with breve?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as breve.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: bever.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of breve
- breves plural
- brieve
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does breve mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A semicircular diacritical mark (˘) placed above a vowel, commonly used to mark its quantity as short.
- 2
A double whole note; a note twice as long as a semibreve.
- 3
Any writ or precept under seal, issued out of any court.
- 4
A pitta, all of which have more or less short tails.
- 5
An equal mix of espresso and half and half cream.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Breve in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Breve, Verkürzungszeichen , Brevis, Doppelganze, Doppelganzenote |
| Portuguese | braquia |
| Spanish | acento breve, diacrítico breve , cuadrada, breve |
| French | carrée |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does breve come from?
From Middle English breve, variant of bref, from Old French brieve, breve (feminine form of brief, bref), from Latin brevis (“short”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).